Author: 36jonraessler50

In early March, I wrote a post pointing out the freedom that running allows us, even within social distancing guidelines. Much has changed since then, even for running, and yet we can still run free.

All of the social distancing guidelines allow for exercise, including going for a run. Where we live, the trails remain heavily used and we’ve been encouraged to seek out less crowded areas. The second time I ran on the trail, because of the amount of time I spent focusing on maintaining social distance, I did an all-out half-mile around our block, going down the middle of the street, well away from pedestrians. It felt wonderful to just run. As I walked back inside, I considered ways to keep up with a run-focused run and went to plan B: treadmill.

Our treadmill has provided many benefits, such as a dry surface to run on and 65 degree temperature when it’s frigid, dark, and icy outside. It’s also a way to run a very measured pace in specific increments. I’ve noticed more precision in my turnover when I run outside after doing several treadmill workouts. In our current times, it’s a way to run while social distancing. All I have to think about is the run.

And yet, while I’m generally happy with a pair of running shoes on my feet and a firm surface underneath, running inside all the time is not what I would normally choose so I went to a plan C. I’m still on the treadmill some of the time but it seemed reasonable that nearby residential streets and sidewalks might have fewer people and so far, they have. With the new face-covering requirements, it’s not quite the same as an unhindered run in fresh air, yet it still is a taste of freedom. Wearing a face covering does allow less air flow. This is not fun, but I figure there’s some training benefit that is similar to running at a higher elevation. I’m not sure whether that’s an additional 500 feet or 5000 feet, but it’s something.

It’s a way to observe first-hand our community around us. Though there is less traffic than on a standard weekday morning, there are still a decent number of cars. Most people observe social distancing in a responsible way. When I passed a house where someone I had never seen before was putting out their garbage, I was probably fifty feet away yet they called out with a hearty hello. Five weeks ago, they may not have even glanced up and I suspect our inability to socialize in person compels us to more friendly gestures when we do see another human.

I look forward to the day when I can run outside again without social distancing, to actually enjoy the freedom of a run. In the meantime it remains a bit of freedom I can still embrace, even with a few minor adjustments.

When global change occurs, one way to consider it is its impact going forward on specific activities or areas. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic is a fluid situation, any attempts to measure future impact could change but we can go with the information we have. The Boston and London Marathons are now scheduled to take place in the fall. This means there could be five major marathons between September and November, and most elite athletes will likely only choose one of those. The probable change here isn’t so much on the overall winners (there were five unique major marathon winners in 2019, there could be six in 2020 as the elite Tokyo race was held on 1 March) but on the number of unique competitors in each field. Since most elite athletes will only run one fall marathon, there will probably be more different faces in each one and thus a greater variety of names among the top finishers. Because running success is based primarily on speed, even if the second through tenth place finishers in the majors feature many new faces, that doesn’t guarantee a nice vault into sustained success for them. On the other hand, nabbing an unexpected podium finish may very well be the boost that an up-and-coming elite marathoner uses to unlock even more ability. With a new potential GOAT contender emerging and two others running at their peak, the distance running world already seemed poised for change. A pandemic-influenced schedule change is not what any athlete wants to see shifting the balance, but it may be an unavoidable result.

The change in the Olympic schedule is disappointing, yet it also yielded some positive responses. The shoe technology war has dominated headlines for months now, and there is the thought that with the Olympics being sixteen months away as opposed to four, the other shoe companies not named Nike have time to develop technology that could put their sponsored athletes on a more level playing field. Once elite distance racing resumes, we’ll see whether that’s the case.

No one would wish the current situation to have evolved as it has and there is a lot of disappointment. But, there may be some changes that come out of it that are beneficial to us going forward.

On a lighter note related to race schedule adjustments, I have not signed up for any races and probably will not until it’s reasonably certain they’ll be held. However, I bought a pair of racing flats, the Brooks Hyperion, back in February and I also received my new Runners Roost Race Team singlet. It was a shame to not be using them for official races so the other morning, I did a one-mile time trial on our neighborhood loop decked out in the singlet and the flats. I’m sure it looked bizarre but it felt good, and it was a fun way to keep up the race mentality and use the new gear.

Running gear does not come at bargain prices. The upside is that if you take care of the gear, it can last a long time. However, sometimes it doesn’t work. What to do? (Different gear works for different body types so I’m not naming company names as the same piece may be someone else’s favorite piece of running clothing.)

Two years ago, I needed a new pair of running tights and I bought a solidly built pair for $85. When I tried them on and moved around a little, they seemed fine. Then I went running in them and it all went downhill. I think the company must have made them for a slightly different body type because they don’t stay up particularly well. At $85, I can’t just toss them. And, I just don’t think it’s fair to a potential user to donate them to a thrift store. So, I use them for short easy runs when I’m not with people, or on the treadmill. It saves wear and tear on my other tights and pants and means I can use them.

Several years ago, I bought a running beanie for about $25. It was lightweight and seemed like it would be perfect for running when the temperature was in the high thirties or low forties. However, it’s far too warm for that and yet it’s also not warm enough to wear for substantially cooler temperatures. When running with people, none of us are exuding perfume scents yet some clothes mask sweat better than others. This one amplifies the sweat stench. It’s a perplexing piece of fabric. Similar to the tights, I’ll use it on shorter easy runs, and, because it’s bright neon yellow, if I’m running on my own in the dark.

Socks are one of the easier items to re-purpose. My biggest complaint with most pairs has been that the material is a little too slippery and lets your feet slide around. No fun. If they don’t work for your running, you can use them for around the house socks, or really anything.

For running shirts, I can tell off the rack whether they’ll fit and whether the material will work. It’s a little different with race shirts as I don’t have control over what they’re handing out. Yet, I don’t have a lot of race shirts that I won’t find some use for. If the t-shirt design is not to my liking, I’ll use it as a base layer for winter running. I can also use not-so-stylish shirts for running on our treadmill because the only thing looking at me is a basement wall. But, if I get a race shirt and I don’t feel like it’s going to work in terms of fit or material, I will take these to a thrift store. A twice or thrice-used shirt is much easier to feel okay about donating than running tights.

If you find yourself with gear that doesn’t work, it’s disappointing because you’ve probably dropped a disproportionate amount of cash on it related to other clothing. Yet, there may be ways to use it. You won’t get the full use you’d hoped for, but it’s at least better than trashing it.

Ever since the rise of Amazon, online vending, and communication technology improvements, brick and mortar retail has suffered, the shipping industry is booming, and people can do more from the convenience of their homes and on their own schedule than ever before. Don’t feel like grocery shopping? Plenty of chains offer delivery. Don’t want to go out to your favorite local restaurant? I bet they have GrubHub or their own delivery. There was a rumor at one point of major movie studios grudgingly offering the chance to stream new releases into your home (for a significant price) to allow people to watch current films without having to go to the theater. Don’t feel like going outside for a run? If you have a newer-model treadmill, you may be able to use built-in scenic runs on your screen. In fact, some have the wireless technology to show other people running the same program at the same time so you can “compete” against them if you so choose.

As someone who doesn’t like dealing with crowds and bad traffic (I do some grocery shopping late on weeknights to avoid the Saturday rush), it’s ironic that I also express concern about how walling ourselves off in our homes and comfort zones may have an unfortunate effect. For example, in Colorado we have mail-in ballots for our elections. This is convenient on a number of levels yet I wonder about the unintended effects of not seeing your fellow voters at the polls. By waiting with strangers from your locality to cast your vote, you get a healthy reminder that they’re not mysterious beings conspiring to get “the other person” to win, they’re people from your community who see through a different lens than you.

No one likes crowded supermarkets, or sitting in a long line of traffic after a sporting event, or waiting forty minutes for the “next available table.” And yet, it exposes us to a variety of people and is a healthy reminder of who we are as a community.

As we work to combat Coronavirus, some regions and cities that have been affected are shutting down mass gatherings and that is an important step to help ensure we remain healthy. Yet, while the worst impact of Coronavirus is on people’s health and our day-to-day operating, an additional consequence, even if it’s necessary to protect ourselves, may be that we are further shut off from each other. We all hope that this virus will be contained and eradicated as soon as possible so that we can continue to go on with our lives as we did, or close to it. But, assuming there may be future global health concerns, I wonder how some industries will adapt and if this need/desire to quarantine ourselves will create an atmosphere where more in-home technology for work, shopping, and entertainment will blossom. We may have to go out even less than we do now.

For the 2019 version of the New York Marathon, the organizers offered a “virtual” qualifying process where you could pay them and a different marathon to run the latter’s race while gaining entry into New York. That’s not too far removed from having people virtually run a race on a treadmill. They probably wouldn’t be allowed to qualify for winning awards but it’s an option many people might be interested in pursuing.

Unlike many social activities, running can be done in the open air and either by yourself or with one or more other people. But, as you’re not in a closed environment and you’re generally not handling the same equipment, it may be one activity that can persist while the rest of our lives get bubbled in. And, when you run outside, you get a good, sometimes long, view of your community and what’s going on around you. If you’re running with people, you’re getting solid interaction and less risk of a superficial glance.

As we move through this current health concern, our precautions may mean less meaningful human interaction and we may have to continue to operate this way going forward. Given the importance of staying healthy, it’s a necessary step though we will want to find ways to continue to recognize humanity around us. For now running remains free, and also allows us to see the community around us.

Two of my posts have focused on the distance running GOAT. These are difficult arguments as they’re based on multiple factors including performance consistency, transcendent races, times, etc. Thus far, the debate has remained among Kenenisa Bekele, Haile Gebrselassie, and Eliud Kipchoge. I’ve alluded to the fact that someone else will eventually be in the discussion and it’s possible that person is waiting in the wings.

Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda has not come close to putting himself in the GOAT conversation but he has had a couple of remarkable races recently that suggest he could challenge the current three. This past December, he broke the former 10K world record by six seconds in a time of 26:38 (it has been broken again). As a point of reference, no one has run under 26:40 on the track since 2008. Last summer, he won the World Championships at 10000M and is the most likely to win gold at that distance in Tokyo. Most recently, he obliterated the 5K world record in a time of 12:51. This was 31 seconds faster than the previous one, nine seconds better than the fastest time recorded on the road, and, if you’re following the math, the first time a road 5K was run in under 13:00.

GOAT status partly depends on official world records, times on the track, and marathon accomplishments. He has not yet made the top 25 all-time list for 5000M on the track but he is on it for 10000M. And, he has not run the marathon but most distance runners won’t attempt that distance until later in their career.

Track plays a large role in the distance running world but many of the big events (Olympics, World Championships) will see more focus on tactical pacing and maneuvering for the win as opposed to going for new records. To put it another way, it’s hard to say how much ideal opportunity there will be for Cheptegei to go for world records, especially since there can be more money in road racing. (It may be that we’ll eventually need to simply adjust our parameters for how we’re evaluating the GOAT. Maybe other distances will become a factor in the argument, such as the half-marathon, or 12K, or cross-country.)

With Cheptegei’s 10K road record already being broken (and by a wide margin) he has not set a new standard there. The 5K road world record had been set just over a year before he broke it. With the margin of time, he has set a new standard though it will be some time before we see whether it’s one that other runners will reach and surpass as well, or whether his record remains untouched for the forseeable future.

A lot needs to happen to push Cheptegei into contention but I won’t be surprised if he’s there in the next several years. In the meantime, I mentioned in an earlier post that Mo Farah, winner of 5000M and 10000M gold at the last two Olympics, announced his return to the 10000M for the Tokyo games. If Cheptegei triumphs over him and the rest of the field in Tokyo, it may not just be a torch being passed to a 10000 great, it could be someone building credentials towards GOAT status.

Sources used:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5000_metres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_metres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Cheptegei
https://www.worldathletics.org/news/report/joshua-cheptegei-5km-world-record-monaco

I still have my sights set on shorter races, including the mile, in the upcoming year. As of late November, I was feeling good about this. I had just posted an 18:42 5K and I was ready for some speedwork. Then, there was an upper quad tweak. Following that, I had two nasty cold bugs in the span of a month. My knee was off this past weekend when I’d hoped to finally start some speed work. While I have been logging maintenance miles, that’s about all I’ve been doing. It’s better than nothing, but I’m also not quite where I was in November.

On Tuesday, since my knee was feeling better and I had been feeling solid (meaning cold-free) for several days, I decided to do another all-out mile on the treadmill to get a sense of my current speed. It was disappointing to set my goal time at just under 6:00 but I knew it was prudent, given my lack of speed training and overall mileage.

Ideally in a race such as the mile, you want to run at an even pace, with the possibility of the final quarter being the fastest. I decided to set the treadmill at 10.0 mph at the beginning, moving it to 10.1 at 150 meters and 10.2 at 300 meters. On a treadmill, it takes it a few moments to get up to the speed you want. While I went right into the mile from a 7.5 mph warm-up pace and my time from the start line to full 10.0 was shorter than if I had started from the stop position, it is a factor. By quickly moving to 10.1 and then 10.2, I hoped to keep the first lap to 90 seconds or even 89. The second quarter being the one where PRs are not set and races are not won, I would back it down to 10.1. I would then push it back up to 10.2 for the final two quarters. This meant covering each quarter in roughly 88-89 seconds. Finally, I set the treadmill at 1.0 incline to offset the fact that the belt is driving the speed.

Though part of my goal was to run evenly paced laps, I also was open to cranking up the speed at the end if I felt I could hold it, even more than you would do on a final kick. While not ideal in terms of pace training, without knowing my current speed ability, it seemed more important to get to a faster time. Pacing and patience always requires work, but this one time would be okay to have a disproportionate quarter, if I was feeling it.

Though parts of the run hurt more than I would like to admit, given the various factors of the prior six weeks, including lack of speedwork (and I had been eating Super Bowl party food for two days straight), I was okay with the result. I crossed the “line” at either a 5:55 or 5:56 but in the interest of keeping my balance, I’m not sure that I hit the button right when I completed the mile.

I would have been tempted to really go all-out on the final 200 meters, such as 11 mph or 82/quarter pace except that if you lose control on a treadmill, it’s bad. I had done an 82 quarter on it the prior week and I actually was going faster than the belt. This was great until I stepped on the plastic casing at the front. I didn’t fall but I was thrown off balance and it is some doing to reset your stride on a belt moving at that speed. I probably could have run the last 200 meters at that pace and thus knocked a couple more seconds off, but the price wasn’t worth it.

This coming week, I’ll throw in a few speed surges during my workouts to start getting my body acclimated to it. Hopefully within the next week or two, I’ll be able to start doing more dedicated speed workouts. I doubt my first all-out competitive mile will be until the early summer so there is still time.

Last but not least, I will be shifting to an every-other-week publication schedule for the Untamed Runner. You may have noticed a few missed weeks over the past several months and even during my first year, there were a few times when I did dedicated food review posts instead of a training or race feature. I’m never at a shortage of conversation or information about running, yet my goal is to publish helpful and engaging posts and not to publish for the sake of publishing. Moving to an every other week schedule will help ensure that remains the case.

Wind is one of the toughest opponents that a runner (or any athlete) can face. It’s unpredictable in its speed and ferocity, it sometimes seems to change direction at random, and unlike putting on layers for cold, it’s difficult to minimize its impact.

This past Friday, the wind was howling out of the mountains, often in nasty gusts. I did a nine-mile run, some of which included running up to the top of a mesa and back down. Getting to the top is about three miles total, the last mile-plus of which is all up. I never thought it would be the easier segment. When I turned around at the top, the wind hit me so hard I was knocked slightly off balance and the way down was much more difficult as I fought with the gusts. It was an odd sensation to be struggling to get downhill on a smooth concrete path. There are a few things that you can do to help get you through the run.

I could feel the wind at my back on the way up and though it was chilly, I took off my warm beanie hat and carried it. My thought was that I didn’t want to get it soaked with sweat on the climb up, then have the wind going through a wet hat on the way down. This turned out to be a good move. My head was a little chilly by the time I got to the top, but my hat was nice and dry on the way back when I needed it more and my head stayed warm.

I had also put a light headwrap around my neck because of what I knew would be at least breezy weather. Luckily, this turned into a face-wrap when I was dealing with gusts and not breeze. When it was on, it helped keep my mouth and face from getting pounded with the grit being stirred up by the wind.

I also had sunglasses on and though this is a standard for windy runs with me, normally, it’s difficult to wear a face wrap and sunglasses as they get fogged. However, the wind was so fierce that it was like having a nature-provided defogger and my glasses stayed clear. Instead of getting junk in my eyes and having to squint or run sideways, I could forge on while staring directly ahead.

The one item I didn’t have was long tights or pants. Instead, I was in shorts and low-cut socks, meaning that every time I got hit with grit, my bare legs were getting pelted. In terms of body impact, my legs can take it the most. It was more of a comfort issue, though it would have been more pleasant to not worry about it.

For all runs with gusty winds, even in the summer I’ve put on compression sleeves or worn a light long-sleeved shirt. It’s a little warm, but it’s better than getting pounded by dust and grit.

One reason I advocate training in all conditions (unless it’s an icy and dark winter morning and you’ve got a new treadmill in your basement!) is to be prepared on race day. Even if the conditions are not personal-best friendly, you at least are familiar with them and you know how to move through them. I’m not sure that counts with wind. Even if you’re used to it, it still is obnoxious to get through. The main takeaway from a windy training run is that you’ve toughened up as a runner. That’s actually intended as a positive statement in that if you never feel like you’ve adapted to windy running, I’m not really sure you can.

When I got back to my car, because I sometimes had my face-wrap down, my mouth had a decent amount of grit in it. I swished some Gatorade and got it out, but a toothbrush would have been much more helpful.

LetsRun.com hosted a fun poll during December asking their readers to determine the best race of the past decade. It was set up in an NCAA tournament bracket style, with 64 races listed at the beginning and they gradually worked down to two. Your running knowledge would have to be deep to have significant knowledge of even half of the races, but like the NCAA tournament, only a handful of the races listed had a reasonable shot at winning. (One gripe—it was only men’s races that they featured which was a shame considering there were women’s races like Flanagan’s New York Marathon win, Kosgei’s world record, or Shaunae Miller’s fall across the finish line that inadvertently got her a gold medal in Rio.)

David Rudisha’s 800M world record of 1:40.91 at the 2012 Olympics prevailed in the final over Kipchopge’s 2018 world marathon record. Two factors were that Rudisha had no rabbits or pacers and several people behind him also set personal bests. Both races are remarkable accomplishments by the best runners at their respective distances but I was glad to see Rudisha’s win and it had nothing to do with whether it was a better race.

Shorter races, especially among people who are post-college, tend to get overlooked. It’s not that there isn’t appreciation for a blazing fast track or road race or that there aren’t people in those age brackets who savor the chance to run them. But, there is a heavy focus on the half-marathon and up.

I mentioned in a prior post that I would argue the 800M is the toughest traditional distance to race. It’s far too long to qualify as a sprint but it’s far too short to be a distance run. It’s appropriately qualified as middle distance, but there is nothing middle about the effort to run it well.

It speaks volumes that elite 400M runners have attempted the 800 and fallen short; their times might be better than most but relative to their 400 times, they’re way off. On the flip side, you might think someone who runs a lot at the mile to 5K distance would be able to rip off a quality 800M but I still recall the agony of the 800 and can tell you it’s not the case. It takes unique skill to run the 800M as it does any distance.

Runners who push themselves will hurt after every race, regardless of distance. The main difference is in how long it hurts. Elite sprinters can do two 100M in a day. 5K runners need roughly three days for their bodies to fully recover. Marathon runners need twenty-six. People who race shorter distances can do so more frequently and therefore they have more opportunities to get their goals. On the other hand, the shorter the race, the less room there is for error. Because your pace is more intense as the distance gets shorter, there is great satisfaction in finishing a race where you’ve paced yourself well when you’re near or at red-lining the whole way.

While it’s mostly running enthusiasts like me who read LetsRun.com and we already have an appreciation for all distances, I would hope that an 800M world record race topping a world record at a more popular distance would give us all reason to consider the challenge, skill, and reward in pushing ourselves at shorter distances. Some races may not carry the same glamour in their names, and it’s frustrating to come off of a mediocre or bad 5K or 10K without a more prestigious distance to use as proof of our training and accomplishment. But, training and planning for any race, at least if you’re doing it properly, requires much time and effort and when you meet a difficult goal at a shorter distance, it can be equally as thrilling as longer distances.

When we decided to travel to Moab for a few days at the end of the year, it was likely that it would be chilly but dry. Until right after we left our house and started west, the forecast promised high 30s for the temperature and little to no chance of precipitation.

I love getting into the desert and Moab was my third desert trip of the year. I won’t repeat my running experiences from the first two (I posted about the Death Valley Junction and Lone Pine runs last winter and Joshua Tree this past summer) but in a nutshell, I had one cold morning, one cold morning with high winds, one pleasant summer morning, and a baking 105.8 degree summer afternoon. My assumption ahead of time for this trip was that I would add three more cool-to-cold winter runs.

It was quite a shock when there were two inches of snow on the ground the morning after we arrived with continued snow forecast through the following night. My running was way outside of my expectation zone. Both mornings featured plenty of snow on the ground with more flakes coming down. It’s not uncommon for Moab to get snow but to have a thick layer of it on the ground was unusual. While I had wanted to enjoy running in dry conditions while surrounded by red rock, that was impossible.

It was quiet (not nearly as many people are there that time of year) and easy to enjoy. There are paved paths that spread in multiple directions from the junction of Highways 128 and 191 on the north end of town. One leads along 191 two miles into Moab, one goes north along 191 past the Arches National Park entrance and then about ten miles from town, and one goes up the 128 “River Road.” I opted for the latter two directions while there. While it can be rewarding to find more rural paths, there’s something to be said for using a trail that’s right outside your hotel and still provides spectacular views, even if there are clouds and snow.

Due to footing and that I was coming off of a nasty bug, my runs were short and not very speedy. But, I was out there and realized during the first run that I had experienced, even if in a limited way, the very wide range of temperatures and conditions that occur with desert running.

Was it not quite as ideal to not have the running conditions I expected and wanted? Sort of. But, since I don’t live in a desert, I don’t have the daily experience of people who do and running in this wide variety of conditions, including snow, gave me a window into seeing the various scenarios people there handle. I still don’t have hundreds of desert running days, but I do have a thorough range of weather experiences there.

Update on training for shorter distances. Well, due to a minor upper quad tweak that came up in late November followed by being under the weather for the past ten days or so, my mileage has all been in the “maintenance” category and speed work and longer runs have been put on hold. However, I have started studying up on the world of racing flats in preparation for when I am ready for longer speed sessions and shorter races.

The latter part of 2019 saw several big changes in the distance running world that signal a new era approaching.

For US distance running, Shalane Flanagan’s retirement leaves a void on the women’s side that will be difficult to fill. Though, as mentioned in a prior post, the U.S. women are in a current surge, she won the New York Marathon in 2017 against arguably the greatest marathoner at that time and has been a stalwart on the distance scene for years. With the talent that remains, the US women are well-positioned but she was a standard-bearer.

Alberto Salazar’s suspension left two of the United States’ biggest stars, Galen Rupp and Jordan Hasay, looking for new coaches this fall. Since the 2012 Olympics, for US men’s running it has been Rupp and then everyone else, at least as it related to elite international podium finishes. Hasay has always held much promise and delivered at times, but how both respond, especially after having dealt with recent injuries, will shape the US running scene dramatically.

Mo Farah hoped to transition to dominance on the marathon stage but has announced he will focus on the 10000M at the Tokyo games. He is one of the greatest tactical distance runners of all time, but his success on the track combined with not posting times that will contend for London or Berlin wins may have pushed him back to the oval. Will his experience and tactical ability lead to a third gold at age 37, or will Joshua Cheptegei or someone else be at the top of the podium?

Though Kenenisa Bekele nearly broke the world marathon record after largely being written off, he has been performing at a high level for many years and even if he has a couple of big performances left in him, he is close to retirement. As seen in prior posts, his list of accomplishments is voluminous and whether a new runner will rise in his place remains to be seen.

On the elite marathon stage, Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei took our time expectations for the 26.2 distance to new levels previously thought to be on the border of impossible. For Kipchoge, it was breaking the two-hour marathon barrier. For Kosgei, it was shattering Paula Radcliffe’s world record that stood at ninety seconds faster than any other woman. Now we see what the human body is capable of and the racing world will react.

Kosgei is young at 25, and who knows what her career will bring or how far down she can take her record-breaking run. Others will strive to keep up and continue to drive down this time. Kipchoge is 35 and thus closer to retirement but it’s not inconceivable he has several good races left. It’s exciting for both the men and women. Kosgei has inherited the mantle of ushering in the next era of elite marathon women. Kipchoge still sits firmly on top of the men’s marathon world, yet the fact the one other runner came within two seconds of his ratified world record and the second-place finisher at London this past spring hung tough with him suggests the the new wave of elite marathon men is coming. It will likely be a long time before we see someone singularly as dominant as him, but it may not be long before we see a ratified sub-two hour record.

Sometimes great feats or changes arrive in clusters and the later summer and early fall of 2019 contained both. 2020 being an Olympic year allows the possibility of the new generation of distance stars starting to shine on one of the world’s biggest running stages.